Cultivation of type 1 N. Gonorrhoeae in liquid media

SJ-GC, a modified complete medium for growth of Neisseria gonorrhoeae

A broth medium that supports growth of Neisseria gonorrhoeae to high densities with minimal lysis is described. With most gonococcal strains, inocula of 2 x 10(6) colony-forming units per ml yielded greater than 109 colony-forming units per ml after 8 h of incubation. Scale-up cultures produced 5 to 12 g (wet weight) of cells per liter.

Composition of the lipopolysaccharide of Neisseria gonorrhoeae

Analysis of glycose and fatty acid content of lipopolysaccharide extracted from 38 strains of Neisseria gonorrhoeae indicated that glycoses common to colonial types 1 to 5 were glucose, mannose, and galactose, N-acetylneuraminic acid, 2-keto-3-deoxyoctulosonic acid (KDO), glucosamine, and galactosamine were also invariably present. Virulent colonial types 1 and 2 contained no rhamnose, in contrast to avirulent types 3 to 5 and several strains of the nonpathogenic species N. sicca and N. lactamica. Fucose, characteristic of these nonpathogenic species, was not present in the gonococci. Variation in the concentration of individual glycoses in different strains was also noted. Mannose-KDO, galactose-KDO, and glucose-KDO ratios of virulent gonococci exceeded those of avirulent organisms, except that the correlation for glucose was not quite so striking. This relationship was not found in N. sicca and N. lactamica strains. Fatty acid analyses of lipid A from gonococci showed that 10-, 12-, 14-, 16-, and 18-carbon acids, as well as 3-hydroxytetradecanoic acid, were present, but differences in concentration between colonial types, although evident in some cases, appeared less significant than glycose content.

Radiolabeling of and macromolecular syntheses in Neisseria gonorrhoeae types 1 and 4

Type 1 and type 4 cells of Neisseria gonorrhoeae were grown in a liquid medium that maintained colony type for several hours. Organisms from both types of colonies incorporated labeled glucose, as well as nucleic acid and protein precursors, into specific cellular fractions during growth in the medium. Ribonucleic acid and protein were synthesized actively by the bacteria, with incorporation of label chased by the addition of unlabeled precursors. The method can be used to label type 1 and type 4 cells of gonococci with specific isotopes for studies of metabolic and biochemical changes.

Prolonged survival of Neisseria gonorrhoeae in a new liquid medium

Despite substantial improvements in solid culture media for gonococci and the development of liquid media for the short-term growth of the organism, we know of no study of the long-term survival of Neisseria gonorrhoeae in liquid medium. A new liquid medium for N. gonorrhoeae formulated in this laboratory is simple, efficient, and promising. It will support growth and sustain inoculated colony types for periods of up to 3 weeks. Moreover, it has been used successfully for the primary isolation of gonococci from patients. From the evidence at present available, we believe that this medium will find a useful place in gonococcal research.